I know I have to leave. I know that there is shit I have to do. But nothing could pull me away from holding Charlotte close to me right now.
The way she leans into me.
The way her breathing is still labored.
The way her lips pull into the most sanctified smile.
Everything else in the world has melted away.
But, it’s not long-lived. I growl at my phone as it starts to vibrate on Charlotte’s night stand.
“Let me guess, you have to go…” Her tone isn’t harsh like I would have expected. It’s sweet with this slightest hint of sadness.
“Trust me, I don’t want to,” I admit, letting my lips brush against her ear.
“It’s all right. I’ll see you later,” she breathes out before kissing me.
“I love you so much, beautiful.”
“I love you, too. Now get out of here before I change my mind,” she playfully barks, shoving my shoulder a little.
“Fine,” I grumble, shifting away from her a little. “You’re perfect.”
“Only for you.” She tosses me a little wink before I hurriedly get dressed.
“See you later.” I lean over, waiting for her lips to meet mine.
“Bye,” she coos, connecting our mouths one last time before I shimmy down the trellis and dart for my car.
Chapter 15
Xander
I stare out the car window, trying to keep my focus on what’s waiting for us at the Green Cactus. But other thoughts creep in...dirty, carnal thoughts...reminding me about where I’ve been and where else I’d rather be right now.
There’s just one place, really.
One perfect place that I’d never, ever leave if given the choice.
The spot right between Charlotte’s legs.
I shift in the leather seat as I drive toward the restaurant, my cock thickening as memories from our hours together last night wallpaper my mind.
An ache settles deep into my balls and I wonder if I’m even gonna be able to make it through this meeting without excusing myself to rub one out in the bathroom.
I let out a low groan. At least an hour stands between me and that perfect, sweet pussy.
I adjust my dick, gritting my teeth.
I don’t want to think about any of it!
Fuck, I can’t stop myself from thinking about all of it!
The screams that escape from her puckered mouth, muffled only when I smothered them with my own.
The way her tight, wet pussy clenches my cock when I hit her spot and drive against it over and over and over until she pleads for release.
The way her body writhes beneath me when she comes because it’s just that fucking incredible between us.
If I let myself think about that stuff, I’ll fucking turn this car right around and head right back into Ridgeview, everyone’s threats be damned.
I sigh, pulling into the parking lot at the Green Cactus. It’s pretty empty for a weekday afternoon, but then again, that’s good for us. We don’t need any prying eyes, and if anyone from Moretti’s crew shows up, we can spot them pretty easily and handle them without scaring away any patrons.
Well, except for the ones at the bar. But if they’re at the bar mid-day, sucking back Dos Equis and tequila shots, they’re fucking deadbeat drunks who are barely conscious, anyway.
Not really a concern.
I pull into a spot next to Jase’s car, a top to bottom blacked-out Escalade. I make a mental note to tell him he needs a new ride that won’t give off the impression that he’s a fucking drug-dealing pimp.
Tires squeal around me just as I’m about to hop out of the Judge, and Phoenix slides into the parking spot opposite me. I nod at his vehicle choice.
My mother’s white Lexus.
Perfect for flying under the radar. It just screams rich divorcee bitch out to meet her friends for a liquid lunch after hot yoga.
Nobody would suspect it belongs to the underboss of the Iazetti family.
Jase should take a few pages out of Phoenix’s handbook.
Well, he’d need to read them, too, which right there represents a lost cause.
I wait for Phoenix to finish his call and he slides out of the front seat with a slight nod. “Remind me to tell Jase to go car shopping.”
I smirk. “Will do.” I never turn down an opportunity to see Phoenix lay into my dickwad brother.
I follow Phoenix into the restaurant and sure enough, the bar is packed with exactly who you’d expect at this hour on a Thursday afternoon. No surprise when my eyes land on Jase kicking back a shot of tequila along with the rest of the degenerates. And although the sun is shining outside, the restaurant is on the dark side with its dark wood paneling and dim overhead lighting. I squint, peering around the place until my gaze lands on Lorenzo. He flashes a half-smile that kind of says I don’t know what the hell I’m doing here with you guys, but Imma try to put up a brave front.
Yeah, good luck with that, cocksucker.
Jase joins us as we walk over to a table toward the back of the restaurant and he rises from his chair with more than a little bit of effort considering he’s way too wide to be stuffed into that corner comfortably.
Phoenix pulls out a chair and drops into it. With one hand motion, he directs us to do the same. Jase immediately digs into the bowl of tortilla chips in the center of the table, heaping on guacamole and salsa before stuffing them into his mouth. I want to roll my eyes because he really is such a douchebag, but I just look straight ahead at Lorenzo, mimicking my much more foreboding brother.
“So,” Lorenzo starts, opening his menu. “Should we start with some app—?”
“Lorenzo,” Phoenix hisses, leaning closer, hands folded on his closed menu. “This isn’t a social call. We’re not here to enjoy a nice meal together. We’re here because you said you had information for us.”
“Right,” Lorenzo replies in a shaky voice. His beady black eyes dart left and right as if he’s expecting someone to jump out from some obscure spot and attack him with a tire iron, something I may consider if this turns out to be a bullshit lead.
I’m tired of being jerked around. I’ve spent too much time chasing my own goddamn tail trying to make sense of this Moretti shit. I want real information, something we can go after. Something that can give us a clue about what Moretti is up to, who he’s working with, and how that rains down on Hawthorne.
“Look, Renzi,” I say. “We want to keep this civil, okay? You’ve already fucked us at least once that we know about. If we find out that it’s happened more than once, the appetizers you’re gonna order at your next meal won’t be your biggest priority. Figuring out how you’re gonna eat the food will be since we’re gonna rip out your tongue and teeth, one by fucking one. You feel me?”
A shudder runs through the guy and he cowers in his seat. “Look, guys, I know some things have happened lately that shouldn’t have, and I’m sorry. But Moretti’s got me by the balls. If I don’t help him, he’s gonna close down my club.”
“How can he close your club if it’s in our territory?” Phoenix demands.
“He’s putting up another club right outside the area. He’s getting investors to buy into his plans to expand that area. This club is all I got, and if he throws money at his new places, he’ll crush me. Do you get that? I ain’t like you guys. I don’t have a fucking silver spoon in my mouth. I worked for everything I got. And I don’t have investors or people who can dump shitloads of cash into my place if I hit a rough spot. If he’s gonna compete with me, I’ll lose.”
“It didn’t have to be this way,” Phoenix says. “You could’ve gone to my father. He’d have helped you out.”
“When Moretti showed up on the scene, he gave me a choice. Help him out or fucking die. All I had to do was set up a few sales for him to get his shit introduced into the area. Small-scale crap. That was what we agreed to. And he told me it was to help him establish a reputation in the areas outside your territories. Then the deals moved clos
er.” He lets out a dry chuckle. “You wanna know what happened the first time I spoke up and asked why he was moving his shit into your area when it was just supposed to be on the outside?”
Jase shakes his head and stuffs another loaded chip into his mouth. “No, what?” he mumbles with his mouth full.
“He set fire to my fucking car.” Lorenzo shakes his head. “No guessing games. I asked the question and he pulled out a goddamn blow torch. Said next time, it’d be my ass getting singed.”
“Shit,” I mutter.
“So yeah, I know I fucked you guys over, but I got a sick wife I need to take care of and a kid at home. I can’t lose the club. So if you’re coming in here and asking me to turn my back on Moretti right now, I’m screwed.”
Phoenix holds up a hand. “Relax. You fucked up, but I don’t want you to turn your back on that fucker. I want him close. It’s the only way we can get to him and figure out what we’re up against.” He slams both hands on the wooden table. “But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook, Lorenzo. You owe us. Now, Moretti lost every bit of power he had when he was being investigated by the Feds. His businesses were too hot and they raked his ass over the coals. The family he was in charge of took a big hit when he fell out of power, so he doesn’t have the manpower to go to war with us, especially here where we own and control so much.”
“He’s betting that your dad has a lot of dissatisfied guys on his crew,” Lorenzo says with a sheepish look.
Jase’s eyes widen and he clenches his fists.
Lorenzo holds up his hands. “Easy, Jase. I’m just telling you what I know, okay? I didn’t say it myself. But let’s face it. Your dad hasn’t made any big moves lately and people question if he will. Hell, I don’t know either. And it matters to me because if his guys go somewhere else and I stay, I’ll be holding my dick in my hand in the middle of an empty club, you know what I’m sayin’?”
“Are you saying Moretti is trying to buy our guys?” Jase hisses, flinging the bowl of chips against the wall.
“Not that I know of. But people don’t always tell me everything. They know I have loyalty to your pops, so they don’t always trust me. Nobody wants their ass torn apart by him.”
“And what about you, Renzi? How attached are you to your ass?” I ask. “Because we need information. Real information, not bullshit you spew because you’re afraid of taking heat from Moretti or my father.”
“I have something for you,” he says in a low voice, his head twisting left and right to make sure we’re still alone. “But it can’t have come from me. If it does, I’m dead. I wanna do right by you guys, I do. But I got a lot to lose. So you need to give me your word.”
Phoenix lifts an eyebrow. “Like your word really meant much?”
“I know. I said it before and I’ll say it again. I fucked up. Now you know why. It doesn’t fix shit, but at least you understand why.”
“Let’s have it, Lorenzo,” Jase seethes. “Give us something and it had better be good.”
Lorenzo looks between all of us and swallows hard, his hands shaking slightly. “The investors I told you about.”
We nod.
“Well, there aren’t really investors. There’s really one big backer, one who’s gonna dump a ton of cash into Moretti’s businesses. A partner.”
“Who the fuck is it?” Phoenix growls.
“Guy named Carl Montrose. A real pompous prick.” Lorenzo nods his head. “He’s the guy you want to watch. He’s got a shit ton of cash and he’s throwing it around like he wipes his ass with it. Follow his cash and you’ll figure out what Moretti’s plan is.”
Jase’s chair scrapes along the floor as he jumps up, hovering over Lorenzo. “Why don’t you save us the trouble and just tell us?”
“I told you, I don’t know!” Lorenzo says in a trembling voice. “I gave you as much as I could.” He recoils when Jase’s fist comes to a halt right in front of his jaw.
“Jase,” Phoenix says in a threatening tone. “Don’t make a scene.”
Jase pulls away, his dark eyes menacing.
There are some more hushed threats being tossed around, but all that resonates between my temples are two words — Carl Montrose.
Blaine’s father.
The words Blaine spat at me last night bubble to the front of my mind…
You’re going to be sorry, Xander. This isn’t the end. But the end is coming. Oh, yeah. It’s definitely coming.
The end.
Of fucking what?
I don’t say a word. I just shove my chair back and walk out of the restaurant, raking a hand through my hair. My brothers call out to me, but I ignore them. I stalk toward my car, blinded by red.
That asshole’s father is involved with Moretti?
How the fuck does Charlotte fit into this?
An icy cold sensation winds its way through my insides.
Shit. What if—?
Phoenix yanks my arm before I can pull open my car door. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”
“Blaine Montrose ran me off the road last night. Made a lot of threats. Said we’re done. That the end is coming.”
“Don’t you even fucking think of doing what you want to do right now,” Jase grumbles, standing in front of my car door.
“Montrose and Hawthorne are supposed to be partners. They’ve done a lot of work together. What if Montrose is trying to pull one over on Charles? What if he’s using Charlotte as leverage to keep Charles off his ass? What if he’s trying to take over and wants to keep Charles out of the loop?”
“This isn’t about Charlotte,” Phoenix mutters, still gripping my arm. “This is about us and Moretti. Your loyalty is to us, nobody else. I don’t give a fuck where Moretti’s getting his money from. I just want to know what he has planned so we can stop it.”
“We need to warn Hawthorne—”
“Oh, no, we don’t,” Jase says. “You work for the Iazetti family, not that dickhead Hawthorne. You don’t alert him about any of the shit we just heard, do you hear me? If his partner is trying to pull one over on him, that’s his fucking problem. Not yours. Not ours. You keep yourself away from him, Xander, or you will fuck up everything we’re working toward. Stay the fuck away from the Hawthornes or you can kiss your own ass goodbye!”
Chapter 16
Charlotte
Xander.
His skin still prickles mine.
His taste is lingering on my lips.
His dick still throbs deep within my pussy.
He consumes my mind and I am floating way too high on cloud nine.
Fuck. We’re in so deep and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Finally.
Finally we’re here. We’re together. We’re us.
I honestly didn’t think that this would happen, but thank God it did.
My stomach grumbles as I think through all of the amazing, devious things we did while Xander was wrapped up with me in these sheets. His musk stains the soft Egyptian cotton. I take in a deep breath, letting the alluring aroma of cologne and sweat wrap around me.
My stomach roils and growls again. I need to find something to eat to refuel after everything that just happened.
Moira has to have something just sitting out on the counter, she always does. I damn myself for doing it, but I will my body to get up from the love-drunk bed and make my way down into the kitchen after finding new clothes to put on. I don’t want to be caught smelling like Xander or the devious deeds of the last few hours.
The entire house is quiet, too quiet, but I don’t let myself get caught up in it. It’s nice and peaceful. That’s what I really need right now.
I grab a freshly baked muffin out of the tray on the counter, rip off a piece and pop it into my mouth. The subtle hint of blackberry rolls around on my tongue as I grab a bottle of sparkling water out of the refrigerator.
Cracking open the bottle, the low sound of the fizzing bubbles are masked by my father talking to someone in his study.
Creeping down the hall, I stand around the corner to eavesdrop on the hushed tones.
“The meeting went well, we’re making big moves, Charles.” That voice. I know it, but from where?
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear, Carl. Nice work.”
Carl? Carl Montrose? Blaine’s father. That’s it.
I know that the Montrose Group is one of the major players for my father’s company. They buy a lot of real estate together. I’ve been to enough of their victory galas to be clued in a small way to their partnership.
“Do we know when we’re going to break ground?” I hear my father ask.
“As soon as we can get the permits. It is a good structure with perfect bones. Once we have the all-clear from the city, it won’t take long at all to start really bringing in the cash we have projected.” I don’t recognize the third voice. It’s gruff and low with the slightest hint of an accent that I can’t place.
It was common for my father to work with multiple investors in large projects. I don’t pay it too much mind. It’s obviously not interesting enough to keep me away from my muffin or fantasizing about Xander’s incredible cock, though.
Right as I’m about to walk back into the kitchen to devour my blackberry treat, my attention diverts back to the closed door. Well, the conversation behind it, actually.
“Scarlett is going to be wiped off the map. A little incentive to moving into that area,” the foreign voice offers. “But there is a matter of Blaine.”
“What about him?” I hear Carl bark out.
After clearing his throat, I hear my father add, “He is thinking about his dick and not keeping his eye on the real prize. If you don’t get your son in line, Montrose, he is going to be very bad for business.”
“Blaine will be handled. My son will not be the downfall of this new partnership.” Mr. Montrose’s voice booms out with the slightest hint of resentment building. “It’s not like your daughter is smelling like a rose in any of this, either, Hawthorne.”
Princess: Ridgeview Prep Book 2 Page 11
